Research is a proactive approach

We encounter many challenges as we learn more about sustainable salmon farming, and as an industry leader it is our responsibility to take a proactive approach to meet these challenges. When we solve a problem or overcome an obstacle, everyone benefits.

Our research focuses on fish health, genetics, nutrition and technology to ensure that our salmon and broodstock are strong and healthy and our operations are at the forefront of sustainable salmon farming.

At our dedicated R&D sites in Chile and Canada, we are always searching for new ways to improve salmon quality and make the task of farming more sustainable. We research and test vaccines and constantly seek ways to reduce antibiotic use while maintaining a healing impact for the fish.

We take great interest in innovative ways to use new technologies to enhance nature and ensure the health and welfare of our salmon. New systems that take an individualized approach to raising fish by using automatic image processing, for example, would give us comprehensive information about each individual salmon, while lowering fish stress through reduced handling.

Systems for closed containment in sea with water treatment against infections and the possibility of collecting sludge is also on our R&D agenda.

Research & Development areas and projects

Cermaq runs more than 50 research projects within key areas. Most of the projects are linked to the three most prominent sustainability challenges for salmonid farming; fish health, feed raw material availability and escaped salmon. Below we highlight a few projects

SRS- finding an efficient vaccine

The disease SRS (Salmon Rikettsial Septicaemia) is currently the largest economic and environmental sustainability challenge in Chilean aquaculture. Moreover, SRS is the major cause of antibiotic use in Chilean aquaculture. Cermaq has been engaged in this research since 2011 and was able to identify field isolates which are being used for vaccine development. New vaccines are being tested in field trials in a number of sites of Cermaq Chile, and also in a benchmark trial at the R&D Center in Colaco.

Sea lice – a multi challenge

Sea lice are a continuous concern in the aquaculture industry. We have documented in trials very good results of using lice skirts to protect the fish from lice infection and using lumpfish as cleanerfish of salmon. Use of lice skirts is already implemented in production and full up-scaling of lumpfish is done in Norway. Cleaner fish is being tested in Chile, and is also on the R&D agenda in Canada. is scheduled. Current research is now focused on finding and documenting non-chemical tools to prevent and combat sea lice infections. Such tools include use of fresh water and use of tempered water.

Wounds and lesions – new bacteria identified

Wounds and lesions are continuous issues in salmon farming in general, but specifically for Cermaq in Finnmark (Norway) and in Canada. A PhD project, partly funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) on Tenacibaculum spp. causing ulcers in farmed salmon has described. We have published a new species, related to the outbreak of mouthrot in Norway, namely Tenacibaculum finnmarkense. Trial vaccines has been produced by Pharmaq for use in disease challenge tests. Further research, funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN), will target vaccines against Mouthrot in Atlantic salmon in Canada.

Technology – developing New systems

Cermaq has since 2011been engaged in testing semi-closed containment systems, first a small scale pilot of AquaDome and then a full scale trial.

The Norwegian system for development licenses has resulted in two new concept from Cermaq and its partners; iFarm and FlexiFarm.

iFarm is based on photo recognition of the fish and changes fish farming from stock based operations to to individual-based farming. This photo recognition allows monitoring factors as growth, sea lice, disease, lesions and others aspects that affect the health and welfare of the individual fish, and will bring fish welfare and fish health to a new level. In addition, it is possible to separate the fish that needs treatment, for example against sea lice. Thus, the extent of sea lice treatments will be dramatically reduced.

FlexiFarm is a floating closed containment system based on flow-through technology that advances closed containments to a new level. FlexiFarm treats inflow of water for all infections before entering the containment. The inflow of water will first be filtered and then treated by UV-light to prevent intake of lice, algae, bacteria, and virus. Hence, there will be no lice or infections within the containment and no lice or infections let out from the containment. FlexiFarm will have a system to grind and spread the sludge to avoid point loads underneath the farming sites. The discharge of organic material can be adapted to the capacity of the area. By grinding the sludge no entire feed pellets will be discharged from the containment. FlexiFarm will also have the possibility to collect the sludge.

Genetics – identifying disease resistance

In Chile Cermaq is screening and implements QTL (quantitative trait locus – a section of the DNA) markers for resistance in Atlantic salmon against the diseases SRS and IPN. The purpose is to be able to produce QTL eggs directly from the Cermaq breeding population. The frequency of IPN QTL was demonstrated to be high, and no outbreaks of IPN have been recorded so far in offspring with this QTL.

The people - our research team

A competent research organization is based on highly qualified individuals organized in to team often also including operational staff in the farming regions. Cermaq’s central R&D team with 8 researchers works closely with the dedicated R&D personnel in each of the operating companies hence optimizing the output of our R&D activities.

Our research team takes part in setting the overall research agenda for the industry through participating in the industry research funds and national research organizations.

The research facilities

Having research facilities in the regions of our operations is key for testing under the relevant conditions and situations. Cermaq has research facilities in Chile and Norway.

Colaco, in Region X in Chile

Cermaq's R&D Center has offices, laboratory and 18 net pens of semi-commercial size. The facility can be used for trials on feeds, vaccines, non-pharmaceutical treatments, genetics and technology assessment.

The facility has been key for research on feed trials for reduction of bone deformities, which improves the fish health and welfare of our fish. Also on our research on SRS, a disease causing high usage of antibiotics in Chile, through an on field QTL SRS testing of Fish.

Finnmark, Norge

Cermaq Norway has four R&D licenses for Arctic Salmon Salmon Research Centre for the period 2015-2020. The center, which will do research on optimal feed for salmon farming in Arctic environment in Finnmark, is a cooperation between Cermaq, EWOS, NOFIMA, University of Nordland, and Norwegian University of Life Sciences. The four licenses correspond to 3120t MAB.

At full capacity the center will use three sites with 12 cages each. The salmon which will be grown from smolt to harvest.

Bergen, Norway

Cermaq’s global fish health research team is located at Technology Center of the University in Bergen (Høyteknologisenteret), where we work in close cooperation with academics from other institutions engaged in research related to the seafood industry.

Cermaq is a partner in in two Centers of Research Based Innovation (SFI), CtrlAqua and EXPOSED.

Fresh water technologies

In the first phase of life, the salmon are most sensitive and vulnerable. The production is carefully monitored to ensure that all aspects of the water quality are kept within the optimal limits.

The smolts are raised in facilities on-land. Systems where the fish are exposed to fresh water flowing through the tubs are still frequent, but more predominant are facilities where the water is reused, called Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). In any case the water emissions to water are purified to adhere to regulations on water quality.

In a RAS the use of water is dramatically reduced, and advanced technology is used to monitor and manage water qualities as oxygen, TAN (total amonia nitrogen), NO2-N, CO2 and more. The RAS technology requires more energy than flow through technology.

The on-land closed containments makes the collection of waste from the smolt possible, and as the waste does not contain much salt the waste which is loaded with nutrients is suitable as fertilizers.

During the fresh water phase the fish are sorted for size and is vaccinated. Handling is stressful to the fish and hence the fish are first sedated.

Regulation of light and water temperatures influences the natural smoltification process, i.e. when the fish become mature to move from fresh water to sea water, and this process is carefully managed to get all the juvenile fish ready at the same time.

The smolts are transferred to sea sites in well boats. Where fresh water sites are located off coast the first part of the transport is in tanks on trucks.

Salt water technologies

The net pens utilise the optimal natural conditions of sea temperature and currents which are the basis for the location of the main regions for salmon farming. Whereas the individual ring pens are most common in Norway, the steel constructions are more frequently used in Chile and Canada. For both types the development in the nets, the moorings and monitoring systems are in principle the same.

In Chile and Canada special predator nets are used to avoid attacks from large sea mammals such as sea lions.

Closed containment systems for reduced environmental impacts from farming are being tested by Cermaq and other farming companies. These systems are currently not sustainable. Cermaq is partner in the Center for research based Innovation (SFI) CtrlAqua where the main goal is to develop technological and biological innovations that will make closed systems a reliable and economically viable technology.

Cermaq is partner in the Center for research based Innovation (SFI) EXPOSED which has the goal to develop knowledge and technologies for EXPOSED aquaculture operations, enabling a sustainable expansion of the fish farming industry into areas which today are unavailable to industrial fish farming due to remoteness and exposure to harsh wind, wave and current conditions.

Cermaq is also engaged in a closed containment system, FlexiFarm, based on flow-through technology where inflow of water is treated for all infections before entering the containment. The inflow of water will first be filtered and then treated by UV-light to prevent intake of lice, algae, bacteria, and virus. Hence, there will be no lice or infections within the containment and no lice or infections let out from the containment. FlexiFarm will have a system to grind and spread the sludge to avoid point loads underneath the farming sites. The discharge of organic material can be adapted to the capacity of the area. By grinding the sludge no entire feed pellets will be discharged from the containment. FlexiFarm will also have the possibility to collect the sludge.

A wealth of advanced technologies is used in the salt water phase. Some examples are:

Scanning of fat profile in live fish is done at the site during the growth phase.

Suppliers are key for innovation in our industry

The suppliers of transport of live fish in well boats have developed advanced systems for precise counting fish when smolts are transferred to sea and when transported to the processing plant, and biosecurity measures to ensure fish health and maintain environment.

Feed suppliers have through innovation transformed the industry and continue to drive innovation related to all aspects of the feed. The low carbon footprint from salmon is mainly due to research and innovation by the feed suppliers. High quality feed is imperative for good fish health.